IBC-13—The superstar TV viewing 54 year after
August 22, 2014 A year after overhauling its image and station name, IBC-13 rises to alter the Pinoy's viewing habits, as proven by the network's strong showing in the Mega Manila ratings survey. IBC Executive Vice President (EVP) Lito Ocampo Cruz knows all the figures by heart, the network is currently home to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) games. But even the network executive was prone to moments of awe and "wow" as the numbers and percentages—boldly and clearly painting IBC-13's steady climb to the ratings summit in the past couple of months—were illuminated from the projector board. "We're moving faster and ready to moving ahead. We're moving in an escalating pace and everyone at the newest Philippine TV sensation IBC-13, we're very please with the trend-setting, poineered and uptrend," Lito told the entertainment reporters during a recent press conference held at Cravings restaurant, Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong City last August 8 with the basketball games of PBA and NBA. The "uptrend" was anchored largely on Anja Aguilar's Born to be a Superstar, which as of late has ranked up the ratings survey in the Mega Manila area. Not to be outdone, as the Drew Arellano's Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, Janella Salvador's feel-good fantaserye Janella: A Teen Princess and primetime prince AJ Muhlach's feel-good action superserye Voltron Man, and Jodi Sta. Maria and Richard Yap's top-rating sitcom Maya Loves Sir Chief are also asserting muscle in their respective timeslots. TRANSITION PERIOD. When IBC-13 made the transition on its station ID, last year, expectations were high yet greatly conservative. With the shadows of the country's two giant networks looming largely over the newly overhauled network, the prospect of shattering the longstanding "duopoly" looked remote. IBC's chairman Jose Avellana told PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) during the press launch held on August 23, 2014 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Diliman, Quezon City: "Our objective is to shake the TV landscape and be able to shake your viewing habits. Ang maraming tao kasi may Trese akala nila Dos and Siyete lang; gusto namin ma-shake 'yong perception mo." The shift of the government-sequestered TV and radio network turned into the country's media company as the Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) known as Ito'ng Bagong Company is made the network entered into a long-term airtime agreement with Asian Television Content Philippines Corporation (ATC) and Viva Entertainment, the entertainment media company with the chairman and CEO Vic del Rosario, Jr. The tie up consequently allowed the network to beef up its programming, which consequently boosted its chances to compete against ABS-CBN and GMA-7. The network's new identity, coupled with aggressive promotion and interesting programs, immediately made an impression among viewers right on its first month of reinvention. But finding the right formula to success did not happen overnight as hits and misses shaped the network's journey in realizing its objective. STEADY TURNAROUND. While the newly dressed network's target of shaking up the Pinoy's viewing habits was noble, some industry insiders raised eyebrows on its feasibility. But the people behind the network were dead serious when they coined the slogan, Ito'ng Bagong Channel 13, IBC-13 continued targeting the young market and viewers who were the usual boobtube fare offered by the more established networks. Rating figures started ringing for all timeslots, with Born to be a Superstar making the big leap to the top spot last August 17 with a rating of 30.9% (Sunday). "For Born to be a Superstar, again it's one of our biggest shows, so we do want to maximize that. Magkakaroon kami ng marami pang pakulo within the singing contest and outside. We can also like spin it off to a different program, of course, hindi puwedeng paulit-ulit lang 'yan. There has to be something new each season and 'yan 'yong abangan ninyo," revealed Jose. The success of Born to be a Superstar and the other programs encouraged the network's bigwigs to further intensify their campaign by strengthening all the timeslot brackets. "Actually, let's say, for balance here, within that primetime slot weekdays, again we're gonna launch more sitcoms and that's in the pipeline already. Ang success factor kasi namin ngayon is more in the younger generation. So, younger generation, like kunwari Voltron, it's in the superhero fantasy so gonna relaunch like the action-packed superserye within primetime as well. 54 year after overhauling its entire image, the IBC team and IBC Board of Directors remains upbeat with the network's direction as dictated by the current viewing trend of the viewers. Even Lito himself confessed feeling surprised with what they have achieved so far in such a short span of time. "It is our commitment to the viewers to continually give them more quality choices in free-to-air television. This is what the partnership between Viva Entertainment and Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation hoped to achieve when we launched the IBC-13 brand a 54 year ago and we're definitely on the right track. "Going into our 54th year, we'll continue to bring innovative, creative and highly entertaining programs for the Progressive Pinoys," promised Lito Ocampo Cruz.